Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

139 Chapter 5: Land Key chapter messages 1. Ireland’s land is in demand. Our current land use is a source of greenhouse gas emissions. Some of our current land use practices are exerting pressures on water quality and nature that show no immediate signs of abating. 2. We cannot make more land, so must use our land wisely. Part of this challenge is to understand how best to use our land for social and economic benefits in a way that supports, rather than damages, the environment. The national land use review has a vital role to play in identifying land use opportunities and constraints. 3. Land use offers natural, social and economic benefits. We can use our land in ways that support climate action, nature restoration, protection of water quality and a sustainable economy through implementing a multiple benefits approach. To do this we must reframe how we approach national land use decisions. We must take a holistic and integrated view across all the social, economic, and legislative demands we have for Ireland’s land. Emerging evidence shows that we can implement solutions that deliver natural, social and economic capital together. 4. Land use is about using land to benefit people, and stakeholders need to be engaged in decisions that impact them. Evidence shows that to reframe how we use our land will require engaging people in the process and providing positive supports to incentivise change.